The use of child-resistant packaging is well known in the art and is utilized for many different types of goods. The present invention is primarily directed to packaging for those products which represent a potential hazard in the hands of children—i.e. medicaments and the like.
Packaging and design to be child-resistant while still being senior-friendly will depend upon the product being utilized—i.e. size, format, etc. For example, in the field of pharmaceuticals, many different types of pill containers are used commercially. They generally have locking tops which require either a certain alignment between the top and container or a specific force exerted on the top. Also known are individually packaged medicaments which are often sealed in different types of blister packages which are designed to prevent easy access by children.
In designing child-resistant packaging, it is important that the package can be opened without undue difficulty by the average consumer for whom the product is intended. This is frequently a problem and one of the primary users of medication are the elderly, and packaging which relies on a certain amount of strength to open is often self-defeating and at the end users find it difficult or impossible to open such packaging. As a result, compliance with taking the medication may be low.
Some pharmaceutical products are packaged in the form of pills or tablets and are sealed in child-resistant blister packages. Frequently, these packages are difficult for the elderly to open.